CD Reviews

Melancholy meets melody in an album of quiet genius.

leigh_reyes | Manila, Philippines | 06/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Baptist Hospital is what happens when melancholy meets melody, and agree to go for a drink somewhere. This contrast of sadness and beauty is most stark in tracks like "Joke," where Boo takes on the voice of a woman who asks "Does she look younger than me?" and goes on to sing "Is it some kind of joke? I'm laughing" over a jangling guitar and a steady beat. Boo Hewerdine is a Brit singer-songwriter who more often appears in someone else's album credits, most notably Eddi Reader's (she provides backing vocals here on "Candyfloss" and "Holy Water"). You've probably heard K.D. Lang's version of "Last Cigarette," the third song on the album, on "Drag." Boo's is quieter, leaving space for the lyrics to float above the spare arrangement. Danny Thompson and Richard Thompson also do bass and guitar on certain tracks, notably track 10, "Holy Water." In this song, Boo asks, "What can touch the soul of doctors, priests and thieves?" What, indeed."Standing in a corner, waiting for my life to begin/Holding out my hands, begging for my life to begin." Over swelling strings, Boo's voice lets you hear what beauty there can be in desperation, in "Junk." Quiet, controlled, spare, Baptist Hospital is the sound leaves make after they fall."